Official Number:                       118657

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Short Bros. Ltd., Pallion Yard, Sunderland

Launched:                                8 April 1905

Pennant No:                             Y 3.175

Into Service:                            11 August 1914

Out of service:                          1917

Fate:                                         Sunk by sabotage 15 November 1944

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA

Career Data:

8 April 1905 launched by Short Bros. Ltd., Pallion Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 325 named Cairnavon for Cairn Line of Steamships Ltd., (Cairns, Noble & Co Ltd., Managers), Newcastle

15 April 1905 the Lloyds List newspaper reported …

June 1905 completed

17 July 1905 sailed River Tyne for Calais

17 August 1905 at Rotterdam

11 October 1905 sailed Calais for Barry

11 February 1906 anchored off Lundy Island

1 November 1906 arrived at Cardiff

22 October 1908 at Santander Fireman George T Embley discharged dead – drowned

11 August 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as a collier – name unchanged – until 10 October 1914

11 November 1914 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on Flamorough Head sailing north

28 January 1915 arrived at Methil from Rouen, France

25 April 1915 re-deployed as a collier until 4 July 1917

21 April 1917 sailed from St Helens, Isle of Wight in a convoy of eleven other ships towards Caen Roads and escorded by HMS’s SAPPER, PUFFIN, LUCKNOW and MERLIN

5 July 1917 re-deployed as an Expeditionary Force Transport carrying ammunition empties

7 September 1917 was transferred to the Commercial Branch on Norwegian services

1917 sold to Chr. Salvesen & Co., Leith – name unchanged

17 December 1918 berthed at Liverpool from Sarpsborg

1919 renamed Soutra by her owners

6 January 1920 at Newcastle Donkeyman H O’Connell discharged dead – heart failure

13 January 1920 at Beckton, East London Fireman & Trimmer Sam Rolle discharged dead – drowned

2 December 1924 at Sharpness Dock Donkeyman Andrew Rennie discharged dead – drowned

6 November 1926 at Grangemouth Docks steward Joseph Coutts discharged dead – drowned

1927 owners became South Georgia Co Ltd., (Chr. Salvesen & Co., Managers), Leith – name unchanged

17 April 1928 at Garston Dock when on board 2nd Engineer Officer Shearer McIntosh discharged dead – natural causes

26 April 1930 at Methil Fireman & Trimmer McDonald Alexander discharged dead – fell off the gangway and was killed

8 April 1935 at Granton Harbour Fireman & Trimmer Nicholas Power discharged dead – drowned

1937 sold to Oy Wildfart Ltd., (Holger Lillestrand, Managers) Munksnas and renamed Emmi

1940 seized by German Forces at Trondheim, placed under the management of Leth & Co., Hamburg and renamed Schirmeck

May 1941 owners now Kriegsmarine and renamed Sperrbrecher 66

5 July 1941 renamed Sperrbrecher 166

31 January 1944 placed under the management of Reederei Helmsing & Grimm, Danzig and name reverted to Schirmeck

SCHIRMECK

29 September 1944 sank after a collision with Bahia Camarones at Copenhagen. Was later raised

15 November 1944 was sabotaged while undergoing repairs and sank. Was later raised and scrapped

Notes:

Was the 2nd of 4 ships to bear this name in the Cairn Line fleet